Halal is an Arabic word that means “permissible,” meaning food that is permissible according to Islamic law. The antonym to Halal is haram, which means unlawful or forbidden. To make meat Halal or permissible, an animal or poultry has to be slaughtered in a ritual known as Zabihah. Zabihah requires animals to be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter, and the animal’s jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe have to be severed by a razor sharp knife in a single swipe, to incur less pain and suffering to the animal. In short:

- An animal should not be dead prior to slaughter

- A Muslim should perform the slaughter

- The carcass must be completely drained of blood

- The choice of modern methods of slaughter has to be considered with caution, and should be in line with Islamic principles

- Since pork is forbidden, slaughtering must not be done where pigs are slaughtered.

There are a few more edicts and rules that have to be followed in the interest of animal welfare. For example, the animal has to be fed normally and given water prior to slaughter, an animal must not see another one being slaughtered, and the animal must not be suffering from any ailments or lacerations.

HalalGuide provides a catalogue revealing all the Halal restaurants and takeaways in the area. In addition there is a map view that allows you to see how close they are to you. In line with Islamic law, HalalGuide doesn’t include places like Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), which, it says, offers both Halal and non-Halal food. As per information available from sources, GBK says, “The chicken used for burgers is Halal and is cooked in 100% rapeseed oil in a fryer specified for chicken. However, the grilled chicken used for salads and kebabs is cooked on the same grill as being used for the bacon. The beef, lamb, and venison are not Halal. GBK does not offer Halal Grilled Chicken as an option.” Halal Guide’s database doesn’t contain something that is partially Halal.

There are five levels of credibility:

Level 1: The restaurant & takeaway serves Halal meals along with non-Halal meat (These establishments are excluded from Halal Guide’s database)

Level 2: The restaurant & takeaway serves alcohol and shisha along with Halal meals. These are labelled with red flags on HalalGuide's database.

Level 3: The restaurant & takeaway serves Halal dishes and products. However, the owners do not have appropriate Halal certificate. These are labelled with yellow flags on HalalGuide's database. 

Level 4: The restaurant & takeaway serves Halal dishes and products. In addition, their suppliers have Halal certificate.

Level 5: The restaurant & takeaway passed the certification procedure and hold the corresponding Halal certificate To summarize, we go to great lengths to ensure that all the food joints existing in our Halal Guide database are perfectly Halal. This is a promise to our customers. These are labelled with green flags on HalalGuide's database.